New Sunday radio show on Montgomery's 104.9 FM features an hour of local and regional music

The River Region’s local music scene has a new ally for getting original songs heard by the masses.

The Sunday Local Block has its first show this weekend on Montgomery alternative rock radio station 104.9 The Gump.

“It’s three hours of programming that’s really reflective of the listeners in the River Region,” creative service director Emily Hayes said.

The first two hours are the top 30 alternative tracks that have been streamed online in the Montgomery area. “It could be something from a Killers album 10 years ago to the latest track from Alice Merton,” Hayes said. “That’s the Capital City Countdown, from 7-9 p.m. every Sunday.”

From 9-10 p.m. Sunday is the Gump Local Showcase, a mixture of music from throughout the River Region, with some regional acts. “Some stuff from Birmingham, some stuff from Mobile, around the state,” Hayes said. “It’s to kind of build up that artist community here and let them know that they’ve got an ally and they’re going to get on the air, as long as they send me their stuff.”

“I just thought it was something we could do to give back to the community,” Bluewater Broadcasting owner Rick Peters said.

This showcase just the beginning of The Gump’s connection with the local music scene, and not just local alternative rock music. The River Region also has blues rock, country, punk, metal and more, and that’s all being considered for the Gump Local Showcase.

“The alt-rock genre is wide enough that a lot of things can be carried in there,” Hayes said. “I think it gives encouragement to the 16-year-old kid noodling around on the guitar in their parent’s garage, knowing that in Montgomery you have a place for your music to be heard now because you’ve got an ally on The Gump.”

Buy Photo

Outside the Inside (OTI) shown performing. They are among local bands to be featured in The Gump's showcase. Others will include blues rock band King Bee, punk rock band The Abusements, and other bands like The Lookdowns, All You Need, Bama Jammers, Rachael Wilson and Cotton Bird.(Photo: Shannon Heupel/Advertiser)

Peters said he can foresee a time when The Gump will feature a local band in its normal daily programming.

“Anything that helps arts and entertainment in this town is good for the city,” Peters said. “As an alternative rock station, we have the ability, the latitude from the audience, to do some of this stuff. It’s not that restrictive of a format that we can’t broaden out a little bit.”

One of the bands that will be in this Sunday’s premiere show is The Last Thing You Remember, a Montgomery act that started as a solo with folk music singer/songwriter Nelson Jancaterino. The band has since grown to include both members of the Powell Brothers (also of local group BPM) — Adam Powell on backing vocals and banjo, and Britt Powell on drums — plus Zane Tremontana on bass.

The band size can vary, and The Last Thing You Remember frequently performs as a duo with Jancaterino and Adam Powell.

Buy Photo

The act known as The Last Thing You Remember, Nelson Jancaterino and Adam Powell, perform at Art on the Square 2018 on Friday, March 2, 2018, in downtown Montgomery by the fountain to commemorate the 53rd annual Selma to Montgomery March. The event was hosted by I Am More Than and More Than Tours and featured music, dancing, talks and live paintings. (Photo: Shannon Heupel/Advertiser)

“Adam’s the first person I’ve played with in my 15 years of playing music that I’ve gelled with this quickly,” Jancaterino said in a recent interview with the Advertiser, where they performed as that duo for an upcoming feature.

Hayes said she thinks The Last Thing You Remember has elements you’ll find in bands like Mumford & Sons and Judah & The Lion. “They have this song ‘Dead Horse,’” Hayes said. “That’s one that will be on this first show this Sunday. I’m really excited about that.”

“I’m asked at least once a month by labels, ‘Is there anybody in the market that is on the verge that we could look at?’” Peters said. “Up to this point, I haven’t had a roster of people I could say, ‘Hey, you aught to listen to these guys. These guys are good.’”

All this music is flowing through Hayes, who is collecting and organizing it for The Gump. She’s no rookie at this, though.

“You know, Emily has been really involved in the SouthSounds Festival down in Mobile,” Peters said. “She’s the perfect person to spearhead this local music show.”

“I’ve got my work cut out for me to get all this stuff in,” Hayes said. “But I’m excited. It’s a good problem to have, you know.”

Local groups and singer/songwriters who would like to participate in the Gump Local Showcase should email Hayes an MP3 of their original song (preferably a clean track she won’t have to edit for language), along with their band name and information to emily@bluewaterbroadcasting.com.

“It takes me a minute, but I do get back with everyone,” Hayes said. “Send your stuff in and you can be on there.”